Few aspects of the traditional Japanese garden are as instantly recognizable as the elegant, distinctive contours of a well-maintained Japanese maple. This year’s Maple Pruning Workshops will be conducted by Tim Gruner, an experienced practitioner in Japanese gardening as a guest instructor for the 8/2 workshop and by Hugo Torii, Garden Curator and Director of the Japanese Garden Training Center at Portland Japanese Garden on the 8/4 workshop. With the Garden as a living classroom, participants will receive a maple-focused tour, learn the fundamentals of maple pruning through a lecture, and be able to put their pruning methods and techniques to the test under the guidance of Hugo, Tim, and a staff gardener.
The workshop is a single day, please choose your preferred date when reserving a ticket or entering the lottery.
Itinerary
8:30am: Check In
9:00am – 3:00pm: Program
Garden Tour / Lecture / Pruning Demonstration / Hands-on Pruning
Registration
Tickets are limited and offered to members through our lottery system to provide equal opportunity access to Garden workshops. Lottery winners will be contacted to finalize a workshop ticket purchase.
Event fees are $200. They are non-transferable and non-refundable.
Reserve 8/2 Maple Pruning Reserve 8/4 Maple PruningRegistration dates
- Registration opens to those in the Golden Crane Recognition Society on 6/25.
- The lottery opens to Members on 7/2 and closes on 7/9.
- We will contact lottery winners by 7/16.
Event Details
- The workshop is limited to 10 participants.
- When entering your submission for the lottery, you will be asked to sign a waiver.
- Participants should bring their own lunch, a reusable drinking cup or water bottle, and sun protection such as a hat and sunscreen.
- Please bring a sanitized pruner. If you don’t have one, we will have some to loan, or you can purchase one from our Gift Shop prior to the workshop date. Don’t forget that members receive a 10% discount on items in our Gift Shop!
- Work gloves are optional. Please bring your own gloves if you wish to wear them for pruning.
- Educational material will be provided.
- This event takes place rain or shine, so please dress appropriately for the weather.
Meet the Instructors
Hugo Torii
Garden Curator & Director of the Japanese Garden Training Center of Portland Japanese Garden
![Hugo Torii, Garden Curator of Portland Japanese Garden.](https://wpmedia.japanesegarden.org/cb:6Fjf.2f682/w:252/h:252/q:mauto/ig:avif/https://japanesegarden.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Garden-Curator-Hugo-Torii.-Photo-by-Jonathan-Ley.jpg"""")
Hugo Torii is the Garden Curator at Portland Japanese Garden, making him the 10th to take on this critical role since the Garden opened in 1967. As Garden Curator, Torii helps to keep Portland Japanese Garden true to its original intent and design, while also allowing it to grow and evolve. Torii oversees a team of gardeners and is actively involved in the process of all Garden maintenance, keeping in mind the short term needs as well as longer term implications.
Prior to becoming the Garden Curator, Torii spent more than 2 years as the Director of Grounds Maintenance, overseeing the physical aspects of Portland Japanese Garden, its maintenance, and development. In this role, he started several projects that he continues in his current role as the Garden Curator, including building a training structure for the gardening team and starting an exchange program with gardeners from other notable gardens, to continue to position Portland Japanese Garden as a leader and key resource in preserving the art of Japanese gardening.
With a master’s degree in Landscape Design from the Kyoto University of Art and Design, Torii brings a background of studies and experience in both Japanese gardens, Japanese aesthetics in horticulture, and floristry. Prior to his roles at Portland Japanese Garden, Torii spent over three years at Peter Berg Landscape Design in Rheinland Pfalz, Germany, and 12 years at the prominent UEYAKATO LANDSCAPE Co. Ltd., as a gardener and landscape architect in Kyoto, Japan. During this time, Torii managed projects including the Japanese garden and greeneries for the nearly 60-acre Keihanna Commemorative Park, the strolling pond garden at the Yosui-en Garden, and annual maintenance of pine trees at Nijo Castle, a World Heritage Site listed by UNESCO.
In 2025, Torii assumed the title of Director of the Japanese Garden Training Center.
Tim Gruner
Garden Curator & Head of Horticulture, Anderson Japanese Gardens
Driven by a lifelong love of nature to a career in horticulture, Tim Gruner graduated from Kishwaukee College’s Horticulture program in 1987. After graduation, he spent one year as a horticultural intern at Chicago Botanic Garden followed by a year as a grower for the All-American Selection trial at Kishwaukee College. Gruner began working at Anderson Japanese Gardens in 1989 and eventually worked his way up to Garden Curator. He oversees all construction and horticulture activities within the Gardens. Gruner currently serves on the Board of Directors of the North American Japanese Garden Association.
The trees for this pruning workshop have been generously provided by Kraxberger Farm, OR.
This program is presented by Japanese Garden Training Center and sponsored by A Plus Tree.
